A guy at the track told me my exhaust was wasting my time

I spent a good two years bolting on Flowmasters and trying different exhaust tips on my 2015 F150, thinking I was gaining real power. Then this older fella at a test and tune night in Springfield pulled me aside after a run and said, 'Son, that loud pipe ain't making you faster, it's just making noise.' He pointed out my intake temps were probably climbing because the heat wasn't escaping the engine bay right. So I swapped my focus to a cold air intake with a sealed box and a good tune instead. Dropped my quarter mile time by three tenths just from that one change. Sometimes the best mod isn't the one you can hear, it's the one that works quieter. Anyone else ever get called out on a mod that was all show and no go?

2 comments

2 Comments

samjohnson9d ago

Yeah, I had a guy tell me my cat-back was just a fancy noise maker too...

averywilliams9d ago

Had an old hot rod guy tell me my overly loud drag radials were just making me look like I was trying too hard. He was right. Swapped to a stickier, quieter street tire and my 60 foot times dropped instantly. Sometimes the quietest parts of your build are pulling the real weight.